Medical Suffixes: -itis, -ectomy, -scopy, -otomy

Decode medical procedure and condition names from their Greek endings.

Medical vocabulary is built from a small set of Greek suffixes that tell you what kind of word you are reading. -itis means inflammation: arthritis (arthron, 'joint'), tonsillitis, appendicitis. -ectomy means surgical removal, from ek, 'out,' and tome, 'cutting': appendectomy, tonsillectomy. -otomy means cutting into, without removing: tracheotomy, an opening cut into the windpipe. -scopy means viewing or examining, from skopein, 'to look': endoscopy (looking within), arthroscopy. -algia means pain: neuralgia.

Worked example: a health article mentions 'gastritis' and later 'gastroscopy. ' Both share gastro, 'stomach. ' The first ending tells you it is a condition, stomach inflammation; the second tells you it is a procedure, looking inside the stomach. When you decode a medical term, read the ending first to learn the category, then the root to learn the body part.

• 1-itis: inflammation; -algia: pain.
• 2-ectomy: removal; -otomy: cutting into.
• 3-scopy: viewing; read the ending first, then the root.